On June 13, 2025, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a series of preemptive air strikes against military and nuclear facilities across Iran. In a major escalation, multiple local news agencies report that Major General Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in the strike on Tehran.
At 02:22 GMT, eyewitnesses near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility heard thunderous blasts and saw smoke rising over the site. Unconfirmed reports suggest a fire broke out at the plant shortly afterward.
Two minutes earlier, at 02:00 GMT, the Tasnim News Agency announced that Major General Salami and several senior IRGC officers, including Deputy Chief Gholam Ali Rashid, were among the casualties.
By 01:49 GMT, Iran’s state media confirmed civilian casualties in Tehran as residential blocks were struck. Sirens wailed and emergency crews raced to the scene.
At 01:43 GMT, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the strike on Natanz, declaring that Operation Rising Lion “will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
One hour earlier, at 01:22 GMT, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement emphasizing that “the United States is not involved in Israel’s unilateral action against Iran.”
At 01:16 GMT, the Israel Defense Forces reported that dozens of aircraft participated in the opening wave, striking both nuclear sites and military bases across multiple provinces.
In an official briefing at 01:08 GMT, IDF spokesman Effie Defrin warned that intelligence had shown Iran to be closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon, and that these strikes were necessary to halt their progress.
At exactly 01:00 GMT, amateur video circulated online showing devastation in residential districts, with rescuers combing through rubble in search of survivors. Moments earlier, at 00:52 GMT, thick smoke plumes were captured over Tehran as air-raid sirens continued to reverberate.
This attack comes just days before the sixth round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, scheduled to begin in Oman this Sunday. Western diplomats fear these strikes could derail any remaining prospects for diplomacy and spark a wider regional conflict.
As night falls over the Middle East, both sides remain on high alert. Iran’s Supreme Leader has vowed severe revenge against Israel, while Israeli officials insist they will act decisively to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.
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